A) Given product differentiation as your generic business strategy for Starbucks, describe the critical success factors (CSFs) for Starbucks and some types of information that managers would need in decision support systems to manage the business consistent most effectively with the business strategy. For instance, sales, cost, and inventory information would be critically important to a cost leader like Walmart. Neiman Marcus, who sells designer clothing, might be most interested in information about upcoming designs and fashion trends. Payless Shoes, which sells low-cost shoes, and Tiffany & Co, which sells high-end jewelry, both focus on niche markets. They might be interested in understanding changes in buying habits by their customers are influenced by the state of the economy. Describe some types of information that would be most important for managing Starbucks.
B) Once you have determined some types of information that Starbucks managers need, describe some ways to get that information. For instance, would the information come from internal systems? Would social media be a way to gather the information? Could the information be acquired from other companies? Would information from the government be helpful? Could a mobile app be used by customers to provide the desired information? Describe how the information would be collected and organized to help your business managers to make better decisions.
C) What type of additional information would people managing different parts of the value chain for Starbucks need to be effective? The components of a value chain are: firm infrastructure (including finances), human resource management, technology development (including product research & development), procurement (purchasing), inbound logistics (receiving), operations (manufacturing/warehousing), outbound logistics (distribution), marketing and sales, service. Choose two components of the value chain and describe the type of information that managers would need to make better decisions based on their role in your business. Consider the key performance indicators (KPIs) that managers need to track the performance of their part of the business.
